THURSDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- The Bush administration has submitted a budget amendment that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) an additional $275 million in 2009 to improve food and medical product safety, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced this week.
The amendment would grant the FDA an additional $125 million to implement its 2007 Food Protection Plan, an integrated, risk-based strategy to help ensure the safety of domestic and imported food and feed. It also would give the FDA an additional $100 million for programs that monitor the safety and effectiveness of medical products, and an additional $50 million to modernize the FDA's infrastructure and workforce.
If passed by Congress, the amendment would bring the administration's total proposed increase in the FDA's budget for 2009 to $404.7 million, an increase of 17.8 percent in the funding for 2008.
"FDA's mission to protect and promote the health of the American public will be greatly aided by these additional funds to implement our strategic plan," Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, said in a statement. "FDA has already embarked on an ambitious program to transform the Agency. This added funding will ensure that FDA can move ahead with these proposals more rapidly."
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